Orientation sessions point to largest freshman
class -- ever!
This fall, Southeastern could be looking at its biggest freshman
class -- ever.
That's what the numbers are indicating
and that's what President Randy Moffett has been conveying to new
freshmen and their parents who have attended the five summer orientation
programs.
A total of 2,226 freshmen have registered
for fall classes, a 27.6 percent increase over last fall's 1,744,
said Stephen Soutullo, dean of enrollment management. Of that total,
2,126 are beginning freshman, representing a 30 percent increase
over fall 2005.
"These are great numbers as far as new
student enrollment is concerned," Soutullo said.
Anthony Ranatza, coordinator of orientation
and special events, said the summer orientation programs were a
big success with each filled to capacity. One more orientation program
will be held during regular fall registration August 14-15. A popular
new feature this year was "Meet Your Dean," during which students
had the opportunity to visit with academic deans, browse interactive
displays, and take tours.
Ranatza praised the 15 Orientation Leaders
who guided the five SOPs. "We had a great group this year," he said.
"They worked their tails off!" Table
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Left, Orientation Leader Ashley Woolledge exhorts
freshmen to give their all during one of the Summer Orientation
fun, team-building games; right, Adrienne Kimball leads one
of the campus tours. Adrienne is a the second member of her
family to be an Orientation Leader, following in the footsteps
of her brother Jason, who was a leader in 1999.

Glowing
marquee symbolizes shining new season for Fanfare/Columbia
The new marquee on the northeast corner of the Columbia Theatre for
the Performing Arts, Southeastern's historic downtown Hammond theater,
spells out "C-O-L-U-M-B-I-A" coming and going in glowing blue, pink, green
and yellow neon. Flanked by electronic message panels, the classy high
tech sign has arrived just in time to shine a festive light on the Fanfare
2006 and Columbia's 2006-07 seasons.
The new marquee gives a "Look at me now!"
flair to what was once an abandoned movie house but is now the premiere
performing arts complex on the north shore, home to a stellar yearlong
entertainment season anchored by Southeastern's two-decade-old arts
festival, Fanfare.
Fanfare's wealth of music, dance, theater,
lectures, films, exhibits and children's events will be the "opening
act" for the Columbia 2006-07 season. The yearlong Columbia season
will include L.A. Theatre Works' "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,"
a dramatization of Herman Wouk's classic war novel; direct from New
York, the musicals "Urban Cowboy" and "Children's Letters to God";
holiday, pops and family concerts by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra,
including Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" narrated by WDSU-TV meteorologist
Margaret Orr; the stunning Russian American Kids Circus; "The Winter
Dance Party," the nationally acclaimed tribute concert to rock and
roll legends Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper; acclaimed
vocal star Maureen McGovern; and rock legends Eric Burdon and the
Animals.
Columbia season tickets will be available
August 10-31. Individual event tickets (including Fanfare tickets) go on
sale beginning September 5. Tickets can be purchased at columbiatheatre.org
or at the Columbia/Fanfare box office, 220 E. Thomas Street, 985-543-4371.
Box office hours are noon to 5 p.m., weekdays.
Fanfare's 21st season will kick off on September
28 with a special event -- the dedication of the Columbia's performance
hall to the late Sen. John J. Hainkel Jr., whose perseverance and
dedication played a key role in the historic theater's renovation.
Fanfare-Columbia Director Donna Gay Anderson
said a highlight of Fanfare 2006 will be "Louisiana Roots," which she described
as "a series of Louisiana performers, subjects and personalities."
The Louisiana Roots series includes a trio
of guest lecturers with unique insights into Hurricane Katrina and
its aftermath - "Rising Tide" author John Barry; Pulitzer Prize nominated
"Times-Picayune" columnist Chris Rose; and Rice University historian
John Boles. Also paying musical tribute to Louisiana will be the authentic
New Orleans jazz ensemble the Last Straws and incomparable pianist-entertainer
Ronnie Kole. Actor-author Roberts Batson will salute the Crescent
City's history with his one-man show "Amazing Place, This New Orleans."
Read
more ...Table
of contentClaflin
to head Center for Student Excellence
Vickie J. Claflin has been appointed director of the new Center for
Student Excellence, a university project designed to coordinate programs
focused on enhancing student success.
Formerly the director of research, planning
and development for the Catholic Schools Office of the Archdiocese
of Washington, DC, for the past three years, Claflin has considerable
experience in developing, supervising and conducting student counseling
and advising programs at the university level.
"We are very fortunate to add the services
of someone with the extensive academic background and hands-on experience
in academic counseling that Dr. Claflin brings to us," said Provost
and Vice President for Academic Affairs John Crain. "She will play
an integral role in developing a new and exciting program at Southeastern
that's intended to assist all our students enhance their academic
performance."
The new program will provide Southeastern
students with a stronger academic advising program that coordinates
with mentoring by faculty. The Center for Student Excellence will
be a one-stop resource for students with the Career and Academic Planning
(CAP) Center, Student Enhanced Services, Student Support Services,
and Trio Dissemination Partnership Program all housed under one roof.
"The first year of college is so important
to most students' future success, but it's also a time when they need
to overcome a natural sense of insecurity that they feel coming from
high school and confronting the freedom of college life," Claflin
said. "The center will provide a comfort zone where students can receive
guidance and assistance with any of the problems they face."
A native of Metairie, Claflin served as assistant
director of the Gemstone Honors Program at the University of Maryland
Institute for Systems Research from 1998 to 2003. There she directed
student activities and administered a premier university-wide honors
team research program and coordinated the efforts of faculty mentors.
She served as director of Student Support
Services at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville from 1991 to
1998 and held counseling and academic coordinator positions at Louisiana
State University from 1987 to 1991.
Claflin received her undergraduate degree
in advertising graphics and master's degree in counseling at LSU.
She earned her doctor of education degree in the area of curriculum
and instruction from the University of Arkansas. Claflin also served
as a visiting international lecturer and completed postdoctoral research
at the University of Nottingham in England. Table
of contentPresident
Randy Moffett and Continuing Education Dean Gerald Guidroz recently
visited the teachers and faculty participating in the Teaching American
History grant summer workshop,held July 10-21 on campus. From left,
are guest lecturer Gene Allen Smith of Texas Christian University;
History and Political Science Department Head Bill Robison, Dean Guidroz,
Grant Project Director Ann Trappey, President Moffett, TAH faculty
Keith Finley, and Charles Elliott.

TAH workshop draws kudos
Out of approximately 800 grants nationwide, the Teaching American
History Grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to Southeastern
and other educational partners is one of the highest performing.
That's the positive feedback that Ann Trappey,
grant project director, is getting from Washington two years into
the project. At Louisiana and American history institutes for teachers
this summer, she also received kudos from the participants.
The more than 30 teachers at each sessions
said the TAH grant boosts their teaching skills through instruction
on topics such as how to use primary sources in the classroom and
field trips to historical sites such as the Vicksburg and Shiloh
battlefields. They also enjoy "different perspectives" gleaned from
instructors and peers.
The TAH program is designed to provide
teachers -- who can earn graduate and CLU credit -- with high quality
American history content, improve student achievement in history,
and help teachers meet certification standards.
In addition to the institutes, teachers
can take on campus and televised graduate history courses and attend
Saturday and special workshops. For additional information, contact
Trappey at cynthia.trappey@tangischools.org;
or William Robison at wrobison@selu.edu.
Table
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New
Capital One partnershipStudents can
get quick refunds through direct deposit programFaculty, staff,
students can show pride through new Southeastern MasterCard
Beginning with the fall 2006 semester, Southeastern will process the
first refunds after late registration. To assist students in gaining
access to their funds as quickly as possible, Southeastern has announced
a partnership with Capital One Bank, formerly Hibernia National Bank,
to deliver refunds through direct deposit.
Students must have a checking account with
Capital One to participate in the new direct deposit program.
Completely Free Checking Accounts come with
a new Southeastern-branded MasterCard debit card that can be used
anywhere MasterCard is accepted.
Faculty, staff, and students not receiving
refunds can also show their school spirit with the Southeastern debit
card by taking advantage of free checking with Capital One.
To receive your new Southeastern debit card,
visit any local Capital One branch to open a completely free checking
account and request your new Southeastern debit card.
Representatives from Capital One will also
be on campus during the first week of the fall 2006 semester to open
new accounts.
If you currently have a checking account
with Capital One and possess a regular Capital One or Hibernia debit
card, you may simply exchange it in August for the new Southeastern
debit card.
For more information about this exciting
new program, please visit the Controller's Office Web page at http://www.selu.edu/controller
or call the Controller's Office at 985-549-2068. Table
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SBDC, Hammond Chamber hosts seminars
The Southeastern Small Business Development Center, along with the
Hammond Chamber of Commerce is hosting a "Business Boot Camp" seminar
on Thursday, July 27.
"Starting a business can be one of
the most exciting, rewarding, and challenging experiences,"
said Sandy Summers, SBDC assistant director, "but there's a
lot more to building a successful business than just being good
at providing your service or producing your product. This seminar
will prepare you for the critical business planning process and
address the most common issues faced by startups."
Topics include unique lifestyle requirements
involved in owning a business, how to assess the feasibility of
a business idea, how to develop a business plan, how to obtain financing,
identifying target markets, steps get started, how to find out what
regulations/licensing apply, and where to find other resources for
success.
The event will be held at the Southeast
Louisiana Business Center in Hammond from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Light
refreshments and lunch will be served.
Cost is $10 to attend, and pre-registration
is preferred.
For more information or to register, contact
985-549-3831 or sbdc@selu.edu. Table
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In memorium -- Betty Attaway-FinkBetty Attaway-Fink, assistant professor of communication at
Southeastern, died Friday, July 21. Attaway-Fink had been a member
of the university's faculty since 1999.
Funeral services were held Monday in Poplarville,
Miss.
Attaway-Fink received her doctoral degree
in communication from the University of Southern Mississippi. She
was features editor of the Sun Herald newspaper in Biloxi,
Miss., and a staff writer and photographer at the Stone County
Enterprise in Wiggins, Miss. She freelanced for Coast Magazine
and Business Journal in Biloxi. She was a guest lecturer at
William Carey College from 1997-2001.
At Southeastern, she was a member of the
graduate faculty and authored numerous papers and presentations
nationally and internationally on topics including protection of
news sources and ethical issues of photojournalism. She also judged
journalism competitions for the Southeast Journalism Conferences,
served on numerous university committees, and assisted in organizing
a new media writing class and with the development of the university's
graduate program in Organizational Communication.
Among her professional accomplishments,
she was selected for two Poynter Institute programs in media management
and journalism education. She was awarded a Knight Foundation fellowship
at the University of Maryland's Knight Center for Specialized Journalism
and was a fellow of the Foundation for American Communications.
She also was a Rotary International Group Study Exchange participant
in Spain.
She was a member of the Association for
Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and the Southern
States Communication Association. Table
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Professional activities
Dr. David Ramsey (General Business) has been appointed to the
editorial board of Competition Forum, a refereed journal
published by the American Society for Competitiveness (ASC). Dr.
Ramsey recently reviewed several manuscripts for the ASC's November
2006 conference. Dr. David C. Wyld (Management),
Dr. Michael A. Jones (Marketing), and Dr. Andre Honoree
(Management) have published their article, "RFID is No Fake:
The Smart Prescription for the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain," in
the Fall 2005 issue of the The Journal of Business and Economic
Perspectives. Dr. Wyld also has published his article titled
"The eBay Factor: The Online Auction Solution to the Riddle of Reverse
Logistics?" in the December 2005 issue of the Journal of the
Academy of Production and Operations Management. Anna M. Kleiner (Sociology and Criminal
Justice) presented a paper, "Rolling the Dice on Post-Katrina Redevelopment:
Assessing the Impacts and Opportunities for Residents of East Biloxi,
Mississippi," at the Community Development Society meetings in St.
Louis. Her co-authors were John Green, Monica Rosas, and Sarah Leonard
of Delta State University. Dr. Barbara Forrest (History and
Political Science) was a panelist in an all-day symposium at the
2006 meeting of the Society for the Study of Evolution at the State
University of New York-Stony Brook. The symposium, entitled "Intelligent
Design on Trial: Lessons from the Kitzmiller v. Dover Creationism
Case," included the expert witnesses and lead attorneys for
the plaintiffs. Dr. Forrest's presentation was entitled "On
Being a 'Hybrid Expert': Detailing the Intelligent Design 'Wedge
Strategy' in Federal Court." Dr. Rebecca Kruse (Chemistry &
Physics) was one of 13 U.S. college faculty members invited by the
American Chemical Society to participate in the development of a
model chemistry course for training prospective elementary and middle
school teachers. The first meeting of the development committee
was held July 14-16 at ACS Headquarters in Washington, D.C., where
Kruse presented the "Physical Science and Everyday Thinking" curriculum,
and participated in initial planning for the chemistry course.
Charles Elliott (History and Political
Science) presented "Control and Compassion in a Catholic Creole
Community: Teaching the Context of Louisiana's Code Noir of 1724"
to the sixth annual American Studies Teachers' Conference on "The
Historical Impact of Religion on American History" and "Control
and Compassion in a Catholic Creole Community: Reconsidering the
Content of Louisiana's Code Noir of 1724" to the second annual University
Social Studies Students' Conference, sponsored by the American Studies
Foundation and the Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana
(A+PEL) in Baton Rouge. Ms. Anna Bass (Management) presented
a seminar on professional presence and executive etiquette to branch
managers and employees of First Guaranty Bank who are enrolled in
the institution's Customer Service University. The interactive presentation,
titled "Your Professional Presence," featured tips for establishing
professional demeanor in a variety of business situations. Participants
learned skills for making positive first impressions, dining correctly
at business meals, making proper introductions and conversation,
and speaking publicly for business success. Table
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ByLion is published weekly online
(bi-weekly during the summer session) for the faculty and staff of Southeastern
Louisiana University. Send submissions to publicinfo@selu.edu,
SLU 10880, fax 985-549-2061, or bring to Public Information Office in East
Stadium. Submission deadline is noon on Friday. Contact: Christina Chapple,
chapple@selu.edu,
985-549-2341/2421.